Ubisoft has released a patch that fixes a major security hole in its Uplay application, employed by many of its popular games.

Ubisoft has released a patch that fixes a major security hole in its Uplay application, employed by many of its popular games.

The bug, discovered by Google security researcher Tavis Ormandy, allowed hackers to gain control of people's computers, thanks to the accompanying Uplay web browser plug-in. Any website could use the plug-in to launch applications on a user's machine, presenting a monumental security risk.

Ubisoft has since issued an emergency patch to fix the problem and recommends that users update Uplay without any web browser open, which will ensure it updates correctly. A patched version of the installer is also available from Uplay.com.

Uplay is software that tracks user's game performance while logged in, providing points and rewards. It is bundled with many of the company's big franchises, including Assassin's Creed, Just Dance and Tom Clancy.

“Ubisoft takes security issues very seriously, and we will continue to monitor all reports of vulnerabilities within our software and take swift action to resolve such issues,” said a spokesperson for Ubisoft.